Jane Birkin’s original Hermès bag goes on sale

Jane Birkin inspired the design of the bag, and famously wore her own Birkins out rather than keeping them pristine. (Sotheby's via CNN Newsource)

The original Hermès Birkin bag, which acted as the blueprint for what would become one of the most desirable celebrity status symbols in the world, will go under the hammer in Paris next month.

The capacious saddle-stitched handbag, inspired by actor and singer Jane Birkin who died in 2023, will lead the “Fashion Icons” sale at Sotheby’s on July 10, the auction house said in a statement Thursday.

Known as “The Original Birkin,” the all-black, leather handbag is the first version of the timeless luxury staple, which was envisaged about 40 years ago after a chance encounter on a plane between Birkin and then-Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas, Sotheby’s said.

“There are rare moments in the world of fashion when an object transcends trends and becomes a legend. Jane Birkin’s Original Birkin bag is such a moment,” said Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s global head of handbags and fashion, in the statement.

Halimi said the bag “stands shoulder to shoulder with other exceptional items with similarly dazzling provenance,” such as Princess Diana’s “black sheep” sweater and British rock star Freddie Mercury’s crown and cloak.

“Like them, the Original Birkin holds the potential to redefine records,” Halimi added. CNN asked Sotheby’s how much they expect the handbag to sell for, but the auction house would not provide an estimate.

Birkin herself acknowledged the bag’s legacy as a pop cultural phenomenon.

She told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in 2020 that, after the bag’s fame skyrocketed, she wondered whether it might – rather than her movies or hit song “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus” – become what she was best remembered for.

“Bless me, when I’m dead… (people) will possibly only talk about the bag,” she joked.

The origin story of the bag started with an unexpected encounter.

On a flight in 1984, Birkin found herself seated next to Dumas. They struck up a conversation in which she said she wanted a bag “half the size of my suitcase,” Birkin told Amanpour.

“He said, ‘Well, draw it for me,’ and so I drew it on one of those sick bags – the vomit bags – in the airplane,” Birkin said.

The original Birkin differs from subsequent versions in seven ways, Sotheby’s said, with its size, metal rings, brass hardware, shoulder strap, zip and bottom studs setting the prototype apart from future bags.

The bag, which is branded with Birkin’s initials – “J.B” – on the front flap, also has a pair of nail clippers hanging from the shoulder strap, the auction house said.

It will go on public display at Sotheby’s New York galleries from June 6 to 12.

Thousands flocked to see the bag when it was exhibited publicly at Sotheby’s Paris Galleries last autumn, and then at Sotheby’s Maison in Hong Kong earlier this year, the auction house added.

By Billy Stockwell, CNN